


Then There was Seven

by Birds_And_Words



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Grief/Mourning, Multi, No Incest, Past Character Death, Past Relationship(s), Polyamory, Polymachina, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2018-12-18 11:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11873502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birds_And_Words/pseuds/Birds_And_Words
Summary: Percy had always had a grim fascination with the idea of building weapons- but one dead family and a steaming revenge plot in the making later, that fascination becomes a bit too real. With one horribly failed attempt at concealing a gun in public, Percy meets his all-time low sitting in police holding. It only takes the appearance of one raven haired man to lead to a string of bad decisions, including gaining the attention of the strangest group of people he’s ever met.





	1. Over the Raven's Roost

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, this will be the first thing I post on Ao3. Hope you like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to jayhz for being my beta for this chapter!

Percy had always had a somewhat grim fascination with the building weapons. So much so, his mother had often told him she just had a feeling it would one day get him into trouble. With a disapproving frown, she’d often confiscate handmade sling shots and his crudely crafted stink bombs from both him and whatever sibling he had been feeling generous with at the time.

“Now, Percival, I only want you and your siblings to be safe.” She would say while Percy would nod in agreement with her, all the while thinking of newer designs and possibilities. Thinking back on this now from a holding cell, he supposed he could have probably listened a bit better.

Leaning against the cold stone wall behind him, Percy kept one leg sprawled out in front of him and the other bent for his sore right arm to rest over. For but a moment a grim smile twitched across his face as he wondered if he perhaps looked a bit too causal for a man who had been forced into this cell only a few hours or so ago.

Closing his eyes, Percy let his head fall back against the wall, the dull throb of a growing migraine pulsing in his head as he silently tried to wish a cigarette into existence. Smoking wasn’t necessarily the worst addiction to have, but his recent reliance on them was beginning to make him question if his sister Cassandra had a point recommending he cut back. He knew she worried. After all, who else did they have left to worry over, if not each other?

Sighing deeply, he tried not to think of how frantic she had sounded over the phone swearing to get him out as soon as possible. Considering he had no idea how his sister conducted business like this on her own, it made him wonder if she’d take more after their father or mother in business dealings. Depending on who it was would probably determine how fast she could get him out.

It was then that the sound of the door to the room being swung open reached his ears. “Speak of the devil,” he mumbled at the sound of approaching footsteps. Half expecting the sight of a worried, if not passively angered Cassandra, Percy found himself blinking in surprise at the sight of another man being lead towards the cell.

The man was at what Percy could only guess as being average height from where he sat against the cell floor, long black hair tucked behind his ears, dressed in well-fitting, if not worn jeans, and a dark blue shirt with a black leather jacket. Someone whose whole appearance somehow screamed mischief, and fit into the image of someone Percy would expect in a cell both perfectly and not at all. The not at all probably came from the downturned gaze, of someone clearly in regret of whatever they had done.

As they opened the cell door, Percy briefly wondered if he should be concerned over the stranger being placed with him, but then came to the conclusion he didn’t really care one way or the other. Instead he simply watched as the man was lead inside as the guard quickly shut the door with a surprisingly genuine, “You two should be fine together, but if... If you need anything just yell and one of us will come quickly to check on you.”

Percy briefly considered who the guard was more concerned for at the moment. Glancing over to the other man and taking note of how he had been walked in while Percy, in not one of his finer moments, had been more forcibly dragged in while he struggled against police, he came to the conclusion that the guard was probably more worried for the stranger next to him.

As the guard motioned to leave, the dark haired man finally glanced up from where his gaze had been seemingly fixed on the floor, “Has my-“

“Your sister has already been notified, Vax'ildan,” The guard quickly cut the man- no, Vax'ildan off. It appeared the two were already acquainted. There was a moment where the guard’s eyes seemed to soften ever so slightly as he added, “And I’m sure the others are also on their way here as we speak.”

Tension visibly left Vax'ildan’s shoulders and a tired smile of his own mirrored the guards. “Thank you, Jarett.”

“It’s the least I could do, all things considered,” Jarett said, a grimmer expression once more returning to his complexion, followed by an awkward glance in Percy’s direction as he seemed to remember the two weren’t alone in the room. “I should... Probably be going now.”

Vax'ildan’s gaze, drawn by Jarett’s, also seemed to finally notice Percy. The realization seemed to surprise the man as Vax'ildan began eyeing him curiously. Unsure where to hold his own gaze now, Percy settled for straightening his posture reflexively, as he turned his gaze back to the cuffs still binding his wrists together.

“Yeah...” Percy could hear Jarett mutter slightly. “Good luck, Vax.” Jarett spoke as the sound of his footsteps leaving the room was soon followed by the sound of the of the door.

A whole minute counted out in his head later, Percy dares to steal a glance at Vax'ildan, who is still looking at him, a faint smile now playing on his lips as he continues to look him over. “I take it you gave Jarett a bit of a rough time?”

Raising an eyebrow at the statement, Percy turned to better look at the man, a little relieved by the break in awkward silence. “And what makes you think that?”

“He left the cuffs on you.” Vax says, showing his free wrists and twisting them a bit to show off their freedom.

Frowning at the sight, Percy resisted the urge to rub his own wrists, a bit sore from the aforementioned cuffs. “Isn’t that dangerous?” Percy asked enviously, eyeing Vax’s bare wrists.

“No more than leaving the two of us in an unguarded cell together, Mister...??” Vax spoke obviously, searching for a name.

“De Rolo.” Percy answered almost reflexively, the name tasting bitter from disuse in his mouth. Relaxing slightly upon realizing he didn’t really have much to lose from introducing himself, he added, “My name is Percival Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III.”

The faint smile that had been playing at Vax'ildan’s lips seemed to grow as his eyebrows arched from the name. “That’s quite the name you’ve got yourself there, Freddy.”

Fighting off a smile of his own from the reaction, Percival chuckled, extending his cuffed hands in a sad attempt of offering a handshake, “You can just call me Percy.”

If he was bothered by the idea of shaking his cuffed hands, Vax'ildan showed zero signs of that being the case as he leaned across the room and took the offered hand in his own. “Vax’ildan, though you can call me Vax.”

When Vax released him from the handshake, Percy offered a tired smile before leaning back against the wall on his side of the cell, more out of courtesy than anything as he was suddenly aware of the last time he had properly bathed and... No, it took much more thought than Percy felt comfortable giving it… 

Actually, how long had it been since he had seen Cass for that matter? Oh dear. Perhaps that’s why she had been frantic?

“If it makes you feel better,” Percy found himself saying, gaining Vax’s attention once more. “My sister is the one coming to collect me as well, so... I think I can empathize a little.”

A small chuckle escaped Vax. “If that’s the case, I don’t think either of our sisters will be rather happy with us… Mine depending on if I can even get released tonight, and the cost that would hold.”

Passing Vax a questioning look, Percy watched him seem to shrug a bit in response. “Petty theft may be a minor crime but… If you’re a repeat offender, charges and bail tend to increase a little each time... It all adds up a bit in the end.”

Nodding in understanding, Percy couldn’t seem to find any judgement on his part at the confession of the man’s crime. Where once perhaps he might have scoffed thinking himself above such behavior, it didn't take much now to think of worse crimes to have committed.

“What about you, friend?” Vax asked, drawing Percy from his thoughts just before they could skim the depths of his mind. “What has you here tonight?”

Percy considered the consequences of telling this man his crimes, but upon finding them minimal to easily fixable, he let his shoulders slump with a sigh. “Well, I guess it was-“

It was then that the sound of the room's door being thrown open caused both men to turn in slight surprise by the noise. Storming into the room with Jarett scrambling behind her, stood a very familiar woman, no older than nineteen years old with dark brown hair that once resembled Percy’s, and streaks of white hair near her temples that now did. Blue eyes burned as she stalked forward, all but ignoring the seemingly exhausted form of Jarett behind her.

It was only when her eyes met his did they soften and her stride quicken to the cell. “Oh god, Percival.”

Getting up a little awkwardly because of the handcuffs, Percy walked over to the bars of the cell. “Hello, Cass.”

Narrowing her eyes at him, she appeared displeased by the nickname, but the way she grasped at his hands through the bars told another story. “You have no right calling me that from behind bars, brother.” She said aloud while a year of relearned body language screamed, _where have you been? I’m glad you’re safe._

“My apologies, Lady Cassandra,” he tried again, earning a disapproving look from the somehow worse nickname given to his youngest... Now only sister. Slightly squeezing her hand back, the silent, _I’m glad you’re safe as well,_ was easily exchanged.

Stepping up to the two, Jarett awkwardly cleared his throat, “Excuse me, Ma’am, if I could get you to back up from the c-“

Narrowing her eyes, Cassandra released her brother’s hands and turned to face Jarett, all traces of his warm younger sister gone. “Why is my brother still in cuffs when the man next to him in the cell is in none? What is the logic behind this, other than leaving a clearly innocent man defenseless?”

“Well, I just-“

Letting his attention slip away from the two outside of the cell for a moment, Percy was able to catch Vax’s eye in an almost apologetic manner. Vax simply shook his head giving Percy an empathetic glance, letting Percy get an all too vivid image of a woman resembling Vax putting Jarett through a similar hell.

Drawing his attention back to the front of the cell, he watched Jarett beginning to open the cell door. “Alright, alright, I’m getting him out right now.”

Huffing, Cassandra looked over, catching the tail end of the amused look shared between Vax and Percival. “How am I the more distressed person in this situation here, brother?”

Holding out his wrists for Jarett to begin to unlock Percy simply chuckled, “Well, I did gain a friend.”

Glancing further into the cell, Cassandra once more let her eyes rest on the form of Vax’ildan, who seemed to brighten ever so slightly at Percy’s words. Shaking her head, Cassandra simply smiled tiredly. “Only you, brother, would make friends in a holding cell.”

Not a moment later, Percival was found free from the handcuffs and stepping outside of the cell to stand beside his sister. She handed him a familiar blue article of clothing almost instantly causing him to chuckle. There was a certain ridiculousness to being handed a winter coat in the middle of summer… But given his current state he was more than glad to cover a little bit of his disheveled appearance. Shrugging on the coat, he adjusted the collar before turning to Cassandra and offering his arm. She smiled a bit brighter at the gesture, traces of her youth coming back to her face a bit as she accepted his arm, relief for his wellbeing evident.

“It was good meeting you, Percy.” Vax called from inside the cell causing Percival to pause in his step.

Almost a little surprised at the fond feeling washing over him for the man he had just met, Percival chalked it up to Vax having been an excellent distraction from the usual things his mind seemed to linger on most days.

Maybe not so surprisingly, he had enjoyed the brief conversation as well. So, giving the man a polite nod, he too called out in return. “The same could be said about you as well, Vax,” as he exited the room.


	2. Family Matters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy meets the weirdest family ever, and discovers he should really learn to mind his own business.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last the second chapter. Thanks again to Jayhz for making this chapter readable.

Upon entering the business half of the police station, Percy could practically feel Cassandra’s posture becoming more defensive as her grip tightened around his arm. It made his mind briefly wonder what kind of confrontations she had faced to free him, seeing as he had reached out to her only hours before. He could feel his own posture straightening in response as his eyes scanned around the room for any particularly unfriendly looks being cast their way. No one seemed to be paying them much mind in particular, which was a little odd considering his crime.

Letting Cassandra take the lead of direction, he felt himself shift in surprise as they were lead to yet another business counter near the front of the station. While waiting patiently for the woman behind the counter to finish her phone call, Percy looked questioningly at his sister. He then proceeded to watch as Cassandra glanced towards the busy woman before offering a slight shrug.

“Well, we can’t complete the transaction for your _commission_ without the item in question, now can we?” Cassandra spoke, her eyes now firmly fixed to the item's cubby behind the woman’s desk, where Percy could now clearly see the object of his arrest laying in a plastic evidence bag along with a few others of his personal effects.

Turning his gaze to his homemade revolver, he felt his eyebrows rise in surprise. Considering Percival rarely had contact with anyone besides his sister these days, and had never crafted anything for someone else a day in his life, he felt almost certain his sister was lying. Which meant Cass seemed to have gotten her knack of business from their mother. 

Smiling slightly, he shook his head in disbelief. “Well, given the nature of this particular commission, I wasn’t sure getting it returned was even a possibility.”

Cassandra hummed slightly, giving his arm a soft pat, “Don’t be ridiculous, brother, once simply providing the paperwork between you and the contractor for the commission and explaining that it isn’t even compatible with modern ammunition, getting your _Bad News_ back was just a matter of paperwork.”

Percy felt his nose scrunch in distaste. “It’s called the _Pepperbox._ Bad News is still a work in progress.”

“Regardless,” Cassandra spoke, side-eyeing her brother. “The police were much more understanding when they realized that your creation was never meant to see the light of day, and that it is going to much more capable hands.”

There was a touch of scorn to Cassandra’s words. It was clear that though relieved to see him, she was more than a little disappointed in his recent actions that had lead him to being arrested for a rightfully earned felony. Her tone held a hint of betrayal that promised a watchful eye over his actions in the future. Her words on the other hand promised something he truly hoped was only part of her clever ruse.

“Oh, yes, quite a capable indeed. Always trusted that…” 

“Larkin, dear brother,” Cassandra replied, a small curl to her lips.

“Dear god, Larkin?” _You must be joking,_ he silently pleaded with a slight tug of her arm.

“Yes, brother. Larkin.” _You don’t know,_ she responded, slipping her arm from his to step forward to talk to the now free woman behind the desk.

Sighing, he reminisced of the days of thinking he was an only child… With a glance at his obnoxious sister talking and exchanging paperwork work with the woman at the counter he had to admit... This was certainly better.

“ARE YOU _FUCKING_ KIDDING ME?!?!”

With the sound of a sudden shout echoing through the office, Percy, like many others, turned towards the sound only to get caught up in the flash of familiar raven hair at the sight of someone standing directly face to face with Jarett, a snarl on their lips. Vax??

Taking a step closer to assess the situation, Percy once more felt his eyebrows shift in surprise at his mistake. Though very similar to Vax, Jarett’s assailant appeared to be someone else entirely. If the similar long hair, height and skin tone had anything to say for it, Percy could safely come to the conclusion that this was in fact the sister that Vax had mentioned coming to collect him. Upon a closer look it was now obvious that this sibling held a softer more feminine look to her then her brother had. If it hadn’t been for the nearly identical, albeit lighter leather jacket, ripped jeans and off blue shirt she wore it might have been easier to spot the difference between the two on sight.

“Jarett,” The woman spoke, her voice now a bit calmer, but a tense edge remaining. “I’m not sure what kind of money you think we have right now, but there is no way we could possibly afford the bail you’re presenting us with.”

Sighing, Jarret held up his hands in a somewhat placating gesture, “Look, Vex, Vex’ahlia. You know better than I that I’m not the one who’s in charge of these things. I’m just here to help enforce the rules and-“

“Oh, bullshit,” Spoke a rather intimidating man standing impatiently besides Vex’ahlia. Possibly the tallest, most well-built man Percy had ever seen outside of fiction, he stood arms crossed and glaring in Jarett’s direction. Tribal looking tattoos covered his arms, which his shirt (sleeves obviously ripped off to form a tank top) clearly left exposed. “You’ve helped us plenty in the past, why you bitchin' out now?” The man's voice was deep and in no way trying to be discrete, causing Jarett to flinch.

“Look, Grog. I may have… Helped _a little bit_ in the past,” Jarett admitted quietly. “But as of a few weeks ago...” Sighing Jarett shook his head. “Look, you see the station is under new management these days, a rather scary fellow named J’amon Sa Ord, and I don’t know about you, but I kind of need my job. So, I’m sorry, but if you can’t pay the bail, Vax will have to stay until the trial.”

Only vaguely aware of Cassandra mentioning his name once or twice, Percy turned his attention back to _his_ current situation, signing his name where needed on the release paperwork.

Glancing over to what had caught Percy’s attention, Cassandra only needed to watch for a moment before she too sighed in mock disapproval. “It’s not wise to drabble in the affairs of others, brother.”

“But it is quite interesting,” He spoke, handing the pen he had used to sign back to Cassandra. Percy offered her a slight smile as his attention was drawn back to the unfolding drama.

Moderately curious but ever the snoop, Percy noticed two other people standing behind Vex and Grog. A woman roughly the same age as the rest, with long red, nearly orange looking hair. She stood shorter then Grog, but taller than the rest, in a short crop top with a much larger jacket hanging over her shoulders. Her skirt held a multitude of bright colors contrasting greatly with the look of displeasure formed on her face.

Standing next to that woman was a rather short man, or well, shorter than the rest with a rather bored yet displeased expression matching the red heads. He had a rather handsome face and longer brown hair pulled back into a short ponytail. He wore some sort of open shirt and held a somewhat aloof air… but if Percy had thought Vax gave of a mischievous vibe, this man in comparison looked as if he had already committed his crime, escaped his trouble and was well into his next mistake.

Stepping forward, the red head began speaking with a bit of hesitance, “Jarett… maybe if you could just-“

It was then that a fifth figure could be seen rounding the corner walking towards the group. A woman of similar height to the mischievous man hurried towards the rest, her blonde hair pulled back in a bit of a disheveled looking bun. She held a container holding several cups of coffee as she rushed towards the group, looking just as distressed as the rest, only… With a sharp glance in his direction, it seemed she had noticed Percy watching the spectacle their small group had created. Her face hardened a little, causing a bit of guilt to form in Percy’s stomach for finding such fascination in their time of distress.

The blonde woman hurried up to the rest, the shorter man being the first to notice and welcome her presence. Giving her a kiss on the cheek, the man smiles as he takes one of the coffees before frowning and asking something too quiet for Percy to hear. The woman responds just as quietly, but obviously pointing out Percival as the man’s attention seems to snap towards Percy’s direction. His face first holds surprise, but quickly settles into a mix of annoyance and disgust.

“Oh, dear,” Percy muttered, turning back to face Cassandra. “I think you may have actually had a point.”

“Oh?” Pulling Percy’s items back to their side of the counter, Cassandra spared a glance over her shoulder towards the people whom he had been watching. “Huh, isn’t it funny how I have a habit of doing that?” Ignoring Percy’s scolding glare, Cassandra simply handed him his box of items with a look of someone who believed karma was about to run its course.

“It’s a good thing I got you your gun back, brother. From the look on _her_ face you look like you’re going to need it.”

“Her face- oh dear god, don’t tell me.” Turning back around to face certain impending doom, Percy found little surprise in the image of Vex’ahlia marching in his direction, all of her companions looming in the distance like a pack of vultures ready to pick off the pieces of whatever this woman left behind. It was truly a horrifying sight that only seemed to quicken in approaching upon him taking notice. 

“Excuse me,” Vex fumed as she approached him in a similar manner to how he had witnessed her all but attack Jarett earlier. “Do you take pleasure in watching people suffer like an arrogant prick or are you _really_ just determined to pry your way into our family matters?”

Taking a reflexive step back, Percy glanced towards his sister only to find she had taken a few steps back in preparation, a look of satisfaction and slight agreement with Vex’s words.

Adjusting the skewed glasses sitting upon his face, Percy found himself faced with smoldering deep blue eyes that promised a slow and painful death depending on his response to her inquiry. Sighing, he spoke trying to find whatever sincerity he had left to spare within himself, “Look, I am aware that your family matters are none of my concern, and I can respect that, but-“

“No, I think you can stop there,” Vex voiced anger, likely amplified from the stress of her current situation. “Our family matters _are_ none of your business, and unless you are willing to cough up the money and pay my brothers bail I suggest that that you take your arrogant snobbery and shove it up your-“

“Alright," Percy cut her off for his own sake of preventing Cassandra from getting any more direct quotes to use against him at this point. “I understand completely.”

Still fuming but seemingly satisfied with the confrontation, Vex’halia spared him one last hate filled glare before turning to return to her group. “I’m glad we’ve reached an understanding.”

“Indeed.” Percy agreed softly, pausing for but a moment to give his sister a look that caused her amused expression to shift drastically as he set his box of items aside and pulling out only his wallet as he regained his composure and began to make his own way towards Jarett’s direction.

Even as he kept his gaze forward on Jarret, Percy could feel the defensive and curious gazes of Vex’halia’s family as he approached, the room seeming to fall into a hushed silence where only the sound of his dress shoes against tile floors could be heard. He wondered what a spectacle he was now making, a filthy man with stress whitened hair, a few days stubble, in crumbled dress clothes and a blue trench coat striding forward with a self-assured confidence he hadn’t bothered showing in months. Truly, he must look like the worst kind of asshole.

Slowly, the frustrated foot falls of Vex came to a hesitant stop as she too seemed to notice his approaching presence. Confused but clearly still pissed, her eyes narrowed. “I thought we had an-“

“Oh, we do,” Percy spoke, his tone steady and nonchalant. “I understand all too well about the importance of family matters, thus I do apologize for my actions, but what I’m about to do is actually more of a personal matter.” Keeping his steady pace, Percy approached Jarett, who seemingly remembering his first... not-so-pleasant encounter with Percy, eyed him warily and moved his hand to his security belt.

Then, much to Jarret’s and everyone else’s surprise, Percy reached into his wallet pulling out a single credit card.

There was a silent pause where no one said anything as they all seemed to process what had just occurred. Indifferent to the silence, Percy clears his throat to gain Jarett’s attention. “If it would not be too much trouble, I’d like to pay my friend's bail with this.”

Jarett looked dumbfounded. “I don’t... that’s not how it works but, who- Is that a black card?!?”

Glancing at the card in his hand Percy was a little surprised to see the card was Vesper’s old credit card. Well.. the account was still _technically_ active, but unwilling to break anymore laws tonight he quickly returned the card to his wallet. Fumbling a bit, he pulled out his own credit card instead knowing it should still have plenty to cover whatever the cost. 

“Holy shit,” he could hear the deep voice of Grog say behind him, pure surprise and what sounded suspiciously like excitement filled his tone. 

“Um, look, I mean I could find you someone to walk you through the process of paying, but uh…” While Jarett still seemed completely at loss of what to say, Percy turned to face Vex once more. Her eyes were wide, and seemingly just as taken back by his actions as the rest.

“I’ll give you whatever information you need and leave the card with you to cover your brothers fees. I’d stay and do it myself, but my sister over there looks as if she’s about to have a heart attack, and I’d rather drag her to the car before she fully realizes what I’m doing.”

Handing the card over to Vex, Percy watched as she firmly looked over him, her expression once more guarded. “And how do you know we aren’t the type of people who will _completely_ screw you over if you do this?”

Smiling a little tiredly, Percy looked over Vex and her group of friends before pulling back his hand and returning his wallet to his pocket. “Something tells me Vax wouldn’t have been so concerned over you if you were.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep. I still have no idea how jail works. Thank goodness fanfiction doesn't need complete accuracy.  
> Also for anyone who thinks Percy is too smart to do something like give out his credit card information to strangers you have to admit, with where he's at in life, he probably could have done worse.  
> The next few chapters have been written and it's just a matter of me going over them for spelling and grammar issues. Life has had me a bit swamped, but i'm not giving up on this story yet.  
> Next chapter, Percy contemplates being rich and gets yelled at. It's almost becoming a theme.


	3. One Day I'll Learn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy thinks of the past while working on his future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to my gregariousGrandeur for being my beta. All credit for making this chapter readable goes to them.

One of the things Percy had quickly learned from growing up with money, is that the best things in life couldn’t be bought. Such as privacy. No matter how hard he tried.

It had been Percy’s thirteenth birthday when he had truly realized how spoiled he was. He had many things on his wish list of items but none as important to him as the number one item, a forge, which had been circled and underlined three times in red marker. Now for most kids the story would have ended with the crushing realization that wishing for such things is impossible, and miracles such as those simply don’t happen. 

But life was different for the De Rolo family.

On the morning of his birthday, a tired and grumpy Percival had been led downstairs into the basement of his family home. His father Fredrickstein Albert Von Mussel Kowalski De Rolo II had led Percy with a knowing smile while his mother Johanna De Rolo had been trailing behind silently, a smile hidden behind crossed fingers as if she could barely contain her excitement.

Stepping into the once cluttered and damp space of the storage room, Percy was surprised to find the area completely cleared out, caution tape lining the entrance. He had gone to give his father a questioning look, only for his father to smile with the slightest of nods forward. When realization struck, Percy had rushed under the caution tape into the room, suddenly seeing the empty room within in an entirely new light. When turning around to face his parents once more, his mother stood there grinning as his father pulled a folded paper out from his pockets.

“The actual forge won’t be complete for quite a while, there’s also some structural work that will need to be done, but until then..” unfolding the paper Fredrick held it out towards his son. Percy turned the paper over, and read the words. Once, twice, and then a third time, just in case his eyes had been fooling him. 

It was a payment confirmation for metal working lessons from a blacksmith.

Smiling, his mother approached him, her hands finding their way into his hair was she leaned down to kiss his head. “The lessons are a requirement by the way.” Sharing a knowing look with her husband, Johanna smiled. “We learned to take precautions about arming our children after Julius was born.”

After months of construction, lessons, and a larger amount exercise then the bookish Percy had expected, his forge was complete and he had been given permission to start his work. Given the one condition that Percy not spend all of his time dwelling in his forge.

Now, over a decade later, Percy spends nearly every waking hour in his forge. Anyone who could tell him otherwise was now long gone.

“PERCIVAL!!!!” 

…with the exception of Cassandra.

Sighing Percy took a step back from the burning coals in front of him, and placed his still heated tools and materials to the side. He barely had time to remove his safety goggles from his face before the angry form of his sister could be seen charging through the heavy metal doors of his forge.

Storming forward, Cassandra, dressed in clean pristine business attire, marched straight up to her soot covered brother with a harsh glare. She opened her mouth to say something, only to apparently be at a loss of words as she closed her mouth and began to start pacing in front of him. “Good people you said! They can be trusted you said! It’s only a matter of time before they return the card, you said!” stopping her angry footsteps Cassandra once more turned to face Percy with her scolding gaze. “It’s been a week Percival. Do you want to know the purchases they have made under your name?”

Sighing Percy moved to lean against a nearby work bench as he began removing his gloves tiredly. “Not really, but I assume I’m going to?”

Pulling out her phone Cassandra gave him a pointed look. “I made a list.” Opening her phone, she scanned over a few messages before clearing her throat. “One bail for registered felon Vax’ildan Vessar.”

Nodding, Percy wiped whatever residue that had gotten on his hands over his work apron, “As expected.”

Cassandra raised an eyebrow, “Followed by the purchase of one large grand piano, designer patio furniture, five full course meals at the most expensive restaurant in Emon, drinking tabs for an entire bar paid off in full, and one hell of a shopping trip that would have our sister Vesper rolling in her grave with envy.”

Exhaling deeply, Percy’s left hand found its way to the bridge of his nose as he took a moment to try and estimate some sort of total cost for all the items. It was… Certainly within his credit range, but more than anything he had ever felt the need to personally spent money on. “Well… I suppose it could have been worse.”

Eyes narrowing dangerously Cassandra held out her phone almost threateningly. “A grand piano Percy. _A grand piano._ Do you think any of them even play piano or that they just bought it to spite you?”

Exhaustion and frustration became evident in Percy’s posture as tension visibly grew in his shoulders. “I don’t know Cassandra, what do you want me to say? That I put my trust in the wrong people?” scoffing at his own words Percy could feel his words turn bitter before they even left his mouth, “Because I think we both know I wouldn’t be the first.”

Recoiling from the unexpected cruelty of Percy’s words, grief flashed through Cassandras eyes, followed by anger that quickly seemed to simmer into a look of accepting apprehension as her gaze turned analytical. Looking him up and down she took in his current state with a sigh. “Percy... how long has it been?”

Tension easing ever so slightly, Percy began to feel exhaustion catching up to him from his hours of metal working. “You’re going to have to be more specific.”

Frowning, she took a step forward, still assessing his current state. “Honestly any answer you could give me would be rather helpful. I’m not going to nag you about your medication, but knowing how long it’s been since you’ve left this dungeon of yours might be a little helpful.”

“… a while.” He admitted a bit reluctantly.

Nodding sympathetically, Cassandra moved to join him in leaning tiredly against his work bench. “I’d like to say I had noticed but…” 

Smiling tiredly, her put together appearance faltered ever so slightly. “Someone has to manage things while you’re gone.”

Exhaling deeply, Percy both tried and failed to fight off the feeling of guilt over temporarily passing on company matters to his younger sibling. “I should probably do something about that soon.”

"Probably." Cassandra spoke in agreement, nodding her head ever so slightly. “I’m not sure how much more I can do before they realize I have no clue what I’m doing. It’s all a lot more complicated then Julius and Vesper lead on.”

“It will be my turn soon enough,” Percy spoke with reluctant acceptance. With his gaze being drawn to another work bench across the room, his borderline relaxed expression turned grim. “I just need a little more time.”

For the briefest of seconds, Percy could almost feel his sister processing his words in the ensuing silence. And, upon understanding what he meant, Percy could practically feel her become unable to disagree with his intentions.

“Take as long as you need brother,” came her nearly inaudible voice, confirming his thoughts. “Only this time, avoid arrest if possible.”

Chuckling tiredly, he shook his head. “I assure you getting arrested wasn’t my intention.”

“And handing out your credit card information was?”

“Now that was a risky gamble and- wait a moment I thought we were past this?”

Raising an eyebrow, Cassandra watched her brother move from the work table to extinguish the flames of his forge. “ _Designer_ patio furniture and a grand piano brother. I’m a little confused how you could have possibly thought that would end well.”

“The brother seemed trust worthy enough,” Percy spoke putting the rest of his tools away.

“The registered felon seemed trustworthy?”

“It was that or he charmed me.”

“When in doubt, magic does seem the logical solution.” Casandra shrugged, and the sibling banter soothed over any residual tensions from their darker conversation only moments before.

“Magic,” Percy scoffed moving towards the door. “Is it that hard to believe that maybe someone just found me attractive?”

"You never know brother,” Cassandra teased as the two exited Percy’s forge, leaving behind only their darker conversation and several rounds of freshly cast ammunition.

* * *

An hour later found Percy freshly showered and once more changed into cleaner and albeit less casual attire. Though not overjoyed at the thought, he had decided it would probably be for the best to finish the evening with helping Cassandra with any other work she had scheduled for the day. Only, upon checking his mother’s old office, Cassandra was (oddly) nowhere to be seen.

Slightly concerned, he began making his way downstairs towards the kitchen only to find Liana, one of the housekeepers, frantically moving about and muttering while preparing what seemed to be a rather large quantity of sandwiches.

The poor older looking woman seemed a little frantic in her motions, causing Percy to pause in the doorway of the kitchen and just take in the sight before him. Unless Cass had suddenly decided that Percy wasn’t eating enough, he was struggling to come up with a logical reason for why the absurd amount of sandwiches would be necessary.

Watching Cassandra round into the kitchen from the other entrance with a rather frustrated expression, her eyes almost instantly rounded in surprise at his appearance. He was briefly reminded of the time he had caught her and Ludwig in the middle of a prank against his younger brother Oliver. At the time he had simply given his youngest siblings an approving nod of acknowledgment before leaving them be to commit whatever heinous act he was almost certain Oliver had coming.

With that instance in mind he became instantly, and nearly overwhelmingly curious over what, exactly, he had caught Cassandra in the act of this time.

“I take it you’re a bit hungry?” He questioned casually.

Cassandra straightened her posture in true De Rolo fashion by looking defeat head on, “Absolutely famished now that you mention it, but I’m afraid these aren’t for me.”

Eyebrows raising in amusement Percy watched his sister gather a few sandwiches onto a serving plate with the help of Liana. “Is that so? I can only guess the entire company of Whitestone then?”

“Not Whitestone,” Cassandra spoke clearly not amused by her brothers teasing as she shoved the plate of sandwiches into his hands. “But you _do_ have guests, and they are now officially _your_ problem.”

Blinking owlishly in surprise Percy accepted the serving plate being shoved into his grasp. “I have guests?”

“Believe me brother, it is a surprise to us all.” Cassandra spoke as she stole a sandwich from him, leaving Percy with a growing hypothesis of who exactly might await him in the next room.

With a strange mix of suspicion and curiosity building in his stomach Percy began to make his way to the guest sitting room.

“I’ll be out with a second tray shortly dear, from the look of the big guy you’ll certainly need it!” Liana called after him all but confirming his guess at who awaited him.

As Percy approached the room, he could hear the vague sound of voices in avid discussion, causing Percy's stride to falter for a brief moment. Then, remembering the trouble that eavesdropping had gotten him into last time he was around this particular group, he thought better of lingering. Knocking briefly on the threshold to announce his presence to the room, he found that it was exactly as he had expected.

In an odd mix of sitting, standing, laying, and a few half leaning against and on the furniture, was the same group that he'd had the pleasure of meeting inside the business portion of the police station. The red head sat on the edge of the sofa nervously, Grog stood with his arms crossed next to the sitting blond haired woman, and Vex leaned comfortably against the arm of the sofa. The shorter man was sprawled comfortably on his side, his gaze trailing lazily to Percy. Though they were all much less hostile than before, there was still an uncomfortable tension that still hung in the air around them. Well, with the singular exception of a very familiar face that seemed to brighten a bit at the sight of him

Looking a lot more rested then he had the last time they had met, Vax took a step forward from the wall he had been leaning against with a welcoming smile. “Well hey there Freddy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone forget the steaming revenge plot in the making? I didn't.  
> Does anyone else want a one-shot of everyone spending Percy's money? I do.  
> Anyways, sorry this chapter isn't very long, but trust me the next chapter should make up for that.  
> Also I'd like to give a special thanks not only to gregariousGrandeur for helping me pretend to know grammar, but also to everyone who commented. It really meant lot and made me grin like an idiot. Thank you.  
> Next chapter everything goes to The SHITS, and receipts are pulled. You might be surprised by who.


	4. The Price of a Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy is amused, Vox Machina is caught off guard, and honestly embarrassment is the only ice breaker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to gregariousGrandeur for being my beta for this chapter. She doesn't watch CR so I feel particularly blessed she's still willing to read this <3

Out of all the things Percy had imagined to hear from Vax the past couple of days, he was almost surprised to find _“Well hey there Freddy”_ to not have even crossed his mind.

“Hello Vax,” Percy spoke casually as he entered the room, setting the tray onto the coffee table in the center. “I was wondering when I was going to see you again.”

“When?” Percy could hear Grog speak sounding surprised, “We didn’ even know we were coming ‘til yesterday.”

“Grog!” the blonde muttered sharply, elbowing the man’s side.

“I mean, uhh, we were just waiting for Vax to find out is all.” Beside him the blonde woman merely sighed, very deeply.

“What my buddy here means to say,” Vax quickly cut back in, a somewhat nervous quip to his tone. “Is that we came to apologize and to return your card, along with possibly…” Vax glanced briefly in the direction of his sister (who seemed to be avoiding his gaze entirely) “learning the cost of what we owe you.”

Percy quickly took to masking his surprise, if not a fraction too late, as he simply sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Well... I suppose the first two are certainly possible but, as for the total cost it... might be best to leave that in the past.”

Tilting his head ever so slightly in confusion Vax frowned, “I know we might have made it sound like we were pretty strapped for cash, but with a few saved pay checks I’m sure we could cover whatever extra was purchase-“

“A little over twenty-one thousand dollars.” Percy cut Vax off with the estimated amount that he had further worked out in his head since Cassandra had shown him her list.

The whole room stilled.

“Whaaaaaat the shit guys!?!” Vax spoke turning towards his friends with wide eyes. “How the hell did you manage to spend all that money and not expect something bad to happen?!?!”

Standing up Vex finally turned to face Percy with burning eyes, “Alright. I call bullshit. There is no way a few meals and a small shopping trip could possibly add up to anywhere near twenty-one thousand dollars.”

“Your right,” Percy easily agreed. “The shopping trip and the meals were probably one of the cheaper things brought with the card. It was mostly the grand piano and designer patio furniture that really escalated the cost.”

For a moment the fire in Vex’s eyes diminished. Until they once more ignited brighter than ever as her gaze turned towards the smaller man. “Scanlan. Shorthalt. Why the Fuck. Did you buy a grand piano?!”

Scanlan though just as panicked as the rest seemed to bristle at her words. “Why the hell did you decide to have a shopping trip?! Also why are you yelling at me?! At least I bought a _used_ grand piano! Did you not just hear that Keyleth’s weird new furniture is apparently _designer?!”_

“Though the entire bars worth of tabs added a bit to the cost as well.” Percy added truly unhelpfully but still darkly fascinated by the unfolding chaos around him.

“Oh god,” Keyleth spoke, the reality of her situation finally seeming to dawn on her. “I only knew about the bail cost at the time and, I don’t know I thought we agreed he was an asshole!” Keyleth quickly turned to face Percy an apologetic expression on her face, “I’m really sorry but you were being an asshole.”

“I agree whole-heartedly,” Percy spoke, very amused by the blunt honesty and general awkwardness added to the almost regal looking individual by her words alone.

“The piano hasn’t arrived yet,” Vex spoke desperately, “maybe we can cancel the order?”

“Maybe we could keep it for a week?”

“Scanlan.”

“Or just a day so I could show it off to Kaylee?”

“Scanlan!”

“Or he could keep it.”

“Scanla- wait what?” Turning sharply to face Percy, Vex eye’s narrowed defensively. “Why would you say that?”

“Because I genuinely can’t think of a better use of the money,” Percy spoke honestly before turning to the man, Scanlan, with a curious look. “You do play piano don’t you?”

“Well I- Yes???” Scanlan, who seemed a bit taken back as well by Percy, responded unsurely. Glancing back to his friends uncertainly he seemed to regard Percy with a new sort of curiosity. “You aren’t some sort of philanthropist are you? Because a _new_ piano might be even better.”

“Scanlan,” This time the blonde woman spoke sternly.

“What?!” Scanlan replied defensively, “First Vax, now this, you have to admit Pike, we could be sitting on a goldmine here!”

Being said goldmine, Percy couldn’t help but chuckle drawing the attention back to him, “I’m sorry to disappoint, but circumstances like this are rarely in my nature, and more likely businesslike and handled by someone else in my family’s company.”

“Then, you’ll be wanting something in exchange then?” Keyleth spoke cautiously taking a step closer to the defensive form of Vex.

“God no,” Percy quickly replied. Sighing, Percy found himself unable to fight the urge to bring his hand to his face in exhaustion. How did one go about explaining a sudden and rash impulse that was born from an unexpected desire to make amends? He wished he knew.

“Honestly,” he finally spoke removing his face from his hands, “I’m not quite sure what I expected from this.” Glancing over to Vax he offered a wry smile, “As you might be able to tell it was, sort of an off night for me.”

Returning Percy’s smile with a softer, more understanding one, Vax tilted his head ever so slightly, “You never did explain why you were in there Freddie.”

Eyebrows raising in surprise at the blunt question, Percy could practically feel the eyes of Vax and all of his companion’s rest upon him with heavy interest. Oh yes, it makes sense that they would be curious about that. Especially considering their current situation. Well... Though it’s true he doesn’t really owe them that explanation, a familiar impulse began to rise in his chest. “Well I-“

“It was a misunderstanding wasn’t it?” Liana spoke entering the room, yet another plate of Sandwiches in her grasp. “Something about one of your weapons correct?”

_“Weapons?!”_ Percy could hear someone in the group behind him (namely Scanlan) say in disbelief and one (namely Grog) echo in excitement.

“Models and replicas, am I right?” Liana asked with a smile in Percy’s direction as she set down the tray.

“Correct.” Percy spoke the lie easily flowing through his lips from habit. Blinking a bit in surprise at his own words, he turned his attention back to the group. “Forging weapon-like replicas has been a hobby of mine for quite some time. For obvious reasons it’s taking any of them into public without the proper paperwork, that can lead to some serious misunderstandings.”

Without missing a beat, Liana seemed to jump into the conversation with ease.

“The poor dear was trying to deliver a commission when the police got a look and assumed the worst,” Liana spoke with such genuine concern that Percy almost felt bad for causing her any worry in the first place. “Though considering with how little we’ve seen him around as of late, it wasn’t much of a surprise that he had gotten himself into trouble.”

He felt himself suppressing the warm flush that threatened to spread across his face from the unexpected, and now apparent public scolding. He honestly should have known better then to assume the housekeeper had simply ignored the grief he had caused. Percy made a mental note never to be naive enough to expect less of the woman again. Noticing the less hostile, and now genuinely amused expression of Vex from the corner of his eye, Percy simply awkwardly cleared his throat gaining Liana’s attention.

“Oh! I’m sorry dear, I forgot we were in company,” Liana spoke not sounding the slightest bit apologetic. Looking at his guests a small worried frown played at her lips. “I hope I prepared enough snacks for everyone.”

“These are for us?” Grog asked now openly staring at the sandwiches in surprise.

“Well of course! It’s not every day that Percival has guests over!” Liana continued causing multiple of said guests to begin to pick up what Liana was doing, and smile. “As a matter of fact all of you might just be the firs-“

“Thank you Liana, but I’m sure this should be more than enough,” Percy spoke struggling to keep his exhaustion and embarrassment from his tone.

“Oh are sure dear?” the short woman spoke with _nearly_ genuine concern in her tone.

“After all of the hard work you’ve done, you could even go home early tonight if you wish,” He spoke now eager to be free of the woman.

Perking up slightly Liana smiled brightly in his direction. “You know I might just take you up on that,” she spoke beginning to take her leave. Percy had all but sighed with relief at her departure, when the older woman momentarily peeked back in the room. “Before I leave should I announce to your sister that you’ll be missing for another two weeks or three?”

“Goodbye Liana,” Percy replied turning away from the doorway, hearing the fading chuckles of Liana as she disappeared down the hall... and the raising ones of his guests in the room.

“Man and I thought my Great Uncle Whilhand was bad,” Pike chuckled while Grog seemed to nod in agreement with her statement.

“Well I can’t say I didn’t have it coming,” Percy sighed reluctantly.

“I’m surprised you let her say what she did,” Vex spoke looking the calmest Percy had seen her directly look at him since their first meeting. “I didn’t really peg you as the kind towards employees type,” she admitted, hinting to Percy that his interactions with Liana seemingly had helped her cross some sort of bias against him.

“Liana has been with my family since before my birth, the only one praying for kindness would be me considering she’s the only one in my home with the knowledge of how to cook.” Percy spoke gaining a few more chuckles from Pike, Keyleth, and Vax, and a few sympathetic looks from Grog and Scanlan.

“You must have made her really worried to do that though,” Keyleth spoke with a frown tilting her head a little curiously in Percy’s direction. She was a lot more perceptive then Percy had given her credit for.

In an attempt to be reassuring Percy smiled softly, “I assure you worrying Liana is usually to be avoided at all costs.”

Frowning, Keyleth seemed to want to comment on his reply but was cut off by Pike, who was now offering the sandwiches amongst her surrounding friends. Maybe Liana had had a point in food and embarrassment being a great ice breaker? Noted.

“So are you seriously considering letting us keep what we spent?” Grog spoke through a mouth full of sandwich.

“Grog..” Vax spoke hesitantly.

“Oh come on Vax,” Grog spoke, obviously not willing to back down to Vax as easily as he had done with Pike. “I know you feel bad, and maybe we do too now that we know he’s not too bad, but like, even I get he’s offering us a break here.”

“You only think he’s cool because you learned he makes weapons,” Vex chimed in looking a bit amused that Grog was siding with Percy.

“Honestly Vex, with how much you love money I thought you’d be all about this,” Scanlan chimed in causing Vex to turn and glare at said man. “I have a point and you know it,” he simply replied with a shrug.

“And you just want to keep your piano and we both know it.” Vex refuted a slight sigh in her teasing tone. Scanlan offered no denial, his gaze stubbornly refusing to meet Vex’s causing her to huff with a roll of her eyes. “Honestly Scanlan.”

Turning her gaze back to Percy, she seemed to look at him, as if assessing him in a new sort of light. “Though,” Vex spoke her tone hinting at some sort of hesitation. “I never said I was against his offer...”

“..But?” Percy questioned his blue eyes curious to understand.

Vex frowned, “there is no but, it’s just.. After what your housekeeper said I realized that we have no just clue who you are.”

“Oh, well, I guess that is understandable.” It really was. Misunderstanding, mistrust, and blind faith had been the foundation of whatever relationship they had built thus far. The time for small talk and getting to know yous had been few to none. “Considering we have only met twice under stressful situations. That’s somewhat to be expected.”

“Well obviously, but that’s not what I meant.”

There was a moment of silence where everyone seemed to take in Percy’s confusion before Scanlan started laughing causing the majority of the group to join in with a chuckle, leaving Percy all the more confused.

“She means your name,” Scanlan spoke through his laughter. “We all thought it was Freddy until your house keeper called you something else entirely.”

“Oh.” Percy spoke looking to Vax with confusion, only for the man to shrug a small grin pulling at his lips.

“I may have been waiting for you to do the honors,” Vax replied far too sheepishly for someone with such a devious look on his face.

“Like you knew this would end well,” Vex chided, arms crossed, but hostility noticeably absent.

Crossing his arms to mirror his sister, Vax tilted his head as a smug smirk graced his features. “You didn’t believe me when I said he was alright.”

Rolling her eyes at her brother’s antics Vex frowned, “That didn’t mean you had to be so secretive with his actual name.”

“Honestly you wouldn’t have believed me.”

“What’s so bad about Percival?” Pike questioned, obviously having picked up on Lianas use of his name as well.

Smiling Vax’s eyes danced with mischief as he added, “It’s not his full name.”

“So?” Grog asked, apparently not getting the fuss about Percy’s just as much as Percy currently was.

“Well..” Trailing off his words Vax shakes his head with an amused smirk.

“Okay we need to know your full name right now,” Scanlan spoke, sitting up his attention fulling locked onto Percy.

Looking over to Vax, Percy couldn’t help but play along with Vax’s playful tone, if not a bit exhaustedly. It was after all, just his name. “I wasn’t aware my name was such an attraction.”

“It’s not,” Vax answered, his gaze fixed with his companions now annoyed, and eager expressions. “They just honestly wouldn’t have believed me.”

“Well now I feel reluctant to tell them.” Percy sighed, adding onto the drama of the moment, causing Vax to turn back to him curiously, perhaps wondering what game Percy had shifted the conversation to. “That is... unless you’re willing to accept my offer of keeping what you’ve spent.”

Vax seemed to blink in surprise. As did the others. As would Cassandra too if she had been there within this moment, but since Percival was nearly certain she was feasting on sandwiches at her desk, he marked that thought as irrelevant.

“Are you... are you sure?” Vax asked slowly, much more cautiously the Percy would have expected. Genuine emotion of some sort of meaning was both laced into Vax’s words, and entirely lost upon Percy.

Before Percy could further think upon the surprising sincerity of the man, a loud and rather annoyed sigh could be heard from Scanlan, who seemed altogether unfazed by Vax’s sudden brooding demeanor. “Vax he’s literally offering us money _and_ his possibly weirdo name, there is no down side to this.”

Vax‘s brow seemed to furrow at Scanlan’s words, as the his gaze seemed to turn once more to Percival, only this time with something a bit lighter. A bit more hopeful. Percy could only watch in confusion for but a moment while Vax passed a pointed look to his twin before turning back to face him with a warm grin. “Alright then Freddy. I guess you have yourself a deal.”

It was within this moment, that of all things Percy suddenly found himself reminded of time. Time had become very weird for Percy the past few years.

Ever since that first gunshot that had rang out upon that one night, Percy had experienced quite a few moments where the world would seem to freeze in place around him. Where time itself would all but come to a standstill, leaving only him trapped in its grasp. Present, and yet oh so far from the sight of the world around him.

At the sound of Vax’s agreement Percy could only watch as the absurd group of guests in his sitting room begin to let out a cheer. One by one he watched distracted side chatter begin as these people so close in nature began speaking excitedly to one another. Time falling still around him as current voices seemed to blend with old ones in his mind.

Distantly Percy watched now somewhat far into his mind, as Vax chimed something snidely yet playful to his sister, just as his siblings might have done to him so many years ago. He could feel himself sinking further out of time. They seemed warm and kind as they smiled at one another, a stark contrast to how cold he could tell he had become.

Standing while surrounded by a sight he had once had should have brought a twinge of envy to his heart. Though he admittedly didn’t know much about these people, it was abundantly clear from everything he had seen that they all were individually close, or in the very least cared for each other deeply. It was a rare thing, to truly have a connection so strong. It would be natural to feel far from this picture.

And yet.

Vax seemed to be smiling just as warmly to him as well, and time had yet to stop. As Percy looked around the room of strangers, not one of them felt distant to him in turn. The banter was light, and their expressions felt open. How easily he had been set at ease among their bickering. How careless he had felt to spill his secrets if only to see how they would respond.

How amazing it had felt to laugh at the group so curious to know his name. All of them unaware just how much weight it placed upon him.

“Well I suppose the deal is stuck.” Percy found the words leaving his mouth lightly as he placed himself with in the time of this moment. “Feel free to indulge them I guess.”

“The honor is yours,” Vax’ildan all but cut through his thoughts with a grin as he gave a mock bow in Percy’s direction.

A part of Percy could acknowledge the pure absurdity of the moment, in a sense he had, in a very roundabout way, paid these people to learn his name, and yet despite it all somehow felt like he was in this moment being gifted something far greater in exchange.

Which prompted him to return Vax’s bow, a grand gesture well practiced from youth and fluid in motion as he spoke, “Well, then in that case... It’s an honor to meet you Scanlan, Pike, Grog, Keyleth, and Vex’ahlia. My name is Percival Fredrickstein von mussel Kowalski de Rolo III.”

Logically he could already tell there would be no room for him and the path in with he had chosen among this group. _And yet._ Watching their faces brighten, and grin at his over the top response and name to match, he couldn’t help but feel at peace.

So maybe, just maybe... There was something here from him after all.

“Though if you like, you can just call me Percy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: This chapter was almost called "And Yet.." but my inner bard felt it lacking. Another fun fact: I had fun online browsing at what Scanlan and Keyleth got and _dang_ did it affect that cost. Yes that total was calculated.  
>  Look forward to that one-shot guys ; )  
> Anyways, as you can tell updating before the new year was exactly what I did _not_ manage to do, but hey it's here thanks to all you wonderful people who commented and showed your support for this to get finished. You guys are all amazing  <3  
> Also feel free to come yell at me on Tumblr y'all. My handle is just-an-orange. I mostly just post cr stuff and ocasionally random things from my dash, but if you wanna talk or come bug me to update faster I'm more than down. Seriously, you guys reading this and actually enjoying it??? You make me super happy.  
> Next chapter Percy decides to test the lines of business and pleasure. Results are as expected.

**Author's Note:**

> Let's pretend I know how the consequences of crime work. Then again the half the fun of fiction is making stuff up.  
>   
> 


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